Woman blames dozens of companies for late husband's mesothelioma

The spouse of a former storekeeper is suing dozens of companies with connections to asbestos-containing products that she alleges caused her husband's death.

B. Joan Tomlinson, as special administrator for Richard D. Tomlinson, filed a lawsuit Jan. 27 in Cook County Circuit Court against A.W. Chesterton Co., H.B. Fuller Co., Union Carbide Corp. and more than 20 other companies.

According to the complaint, Richard was exposed to asbestos between 1968 to 2003, during which time he worked as a storekeeper and around defendants’ products.  Tomlinson alleges the exposure led Richard to develop mesothelioma, which he became aware of Nov. 20, 2014, and ultimately led to his death.

She claims the defendants knew or should have known their products contained asbestos and would result in physical harm, as well as failing to provide adequate warnings of the danger of asbestos exposure.

Tomlinson is represented by attorney Daniel T. Ryan of Cooney & Conway in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2015L000830.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.